Bagging machine



April 2 1970 BRNOYES 'ETAL 3,508,379

BAG ING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENTORS' 9% 2, W 571% MM? A ril 28, 1970 g, P, NOYES ET AL 3,508,379

' BAGGING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. '5, ,1963 4 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTORS.

/95 B/LLY lvoyz-s' AOWARD L. WILLA/7Q jmx/daz B. P. NOYES ETAL BAGGING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 5,

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS BILLY R Novas HOWARD L W/lLAPD A rrae/vrs United States Patent Oflice 3,508,379 Patented Apr. 28, 1970 3,508,379 BAGGING MACHINE Billy P. Noyes and Howard L. Willard, Seattle, Wash., assignors to Alvin C. Formo Continuation of application Ser. No. 299,948, Aug. 5, 1963. This application Aug. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 757,513

Int. Cl. B65b 1 /02 U.S. Cl. 53-189 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is concerned with a machine capable of opening thin film bags and inserting into them successive articles in a continuous operation involving progressive movement in the same direction of articles to be bagged and the articles after having been bagged without countermovement of empty bags prior to the bagging operation.

This application is a continuation of our earlier application, Ser. No. 299,948, filed Aug. 5, 1963, for Bagging Machine, now abandoned.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a bagging machine capable of high speed operation in a continuous manner with a minimum of labor required to handle large quantities of articles to be bagged.

For the purpose of exemplifying the invention, the.-

same is described as applied in the bakery industry for bagging bread loaves, sliced or unsliced. It will of course be obvious that the invention is equally applicable to other industries and other uses. Therefore, there is no intention to limit the invention to bakery uses merely because the locale here described is such.

The drawings forming a part of this specification illustrate the best mode devised for accomplishing the purposes of the invention. To those skilled in the art changes and alterations will come to mind in adapting the invention to use variously in the bakery industry and otherwise. All such as fall within the spirit and scope of the snbjoined claims by reason of equivalency of structure or function are intended to be covered herein.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of the bagging machine;

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are fragmentary enlarged views of bag distending nad bag-filling components with portions omitted and/or broken away and shown in section for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the jaw carriage;

FIGURE 6 is rearward elevation view of the face of the bag distending carriage;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a forward portion of the transfer table and its lower air duct;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the bag supply table;

FIGURE 9 is a diagram graphically representing the relative positions of certain main elements of the invention during the passage of one full machine operating cycle;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of a typical bag usedwith the machine of htis invention;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary view in vertical section of a modified bag-lip holding mechanism.

The frame The frame comprises foot members 10, 11, joined lengthwise of the machine by base 12. Uprights 13, 14 rise to carry spaced-apart tracks 15, 16 at the ends of which are members 17, which support bearings 18, journalling the shafts of sprockets 19, 20.

A motor base 22 supports the main drive motor 24, reduction gear box 26, drive shaft bearings 28 in which drive shaft 30 is journalled. Drive chain 32 between drive sprocket 34 on the output shaft of gear box 26 and sprocket 36 transmits power to shaft 30. Electric current is conventionally supplied to motor 24. On drive shaft 30 is driven sprocket 38 engaging upwardly extending driven chain 40 which in turn passes around sprocket 42 on counter shaft 44 journalled in bearings 46. By suitable change-direction means (not shown) torque is transmitted from shaft 44 to sprocket shaft 46 and sprocket 19. A carrier'chain 48 encircles sprockets 19, 20. The horizontal chain portions travel on and are supported by tracks 15, 16 which in FIGURE 6 are seen to be inverted T-shape in cross-section.

Article feed mechanism Chain 48 moves continually during operation of the machine and carries, in the illustrated instance, three pusher members 50 each of which has a downward and forward projecting curved arm 51 and a bifurcated upper yoke 52 which (see FIGURE 6) forks the tracks 15, 16 and carries guide rollers 53 that ride on the flanges of the tracks. Each pusher has a stabilizing, forwardly-extending arm 54 also having rollers 53. The yoke 52 and arm 54 are suitably attached to chain 48 to move therewith in an endless guided path of travel.

Each pusher 52 has a broad, pusher face which engages the article being bagged such as a loaf of bread.

The machine main frame supports a guide-on table 60 which extends from the left of the machine as viewed in FIG. 1 toward the right. Articles to be bagged are delivered to this table by suitable conveyor means, as from a bread slicer. To facilitate operation it is desirable, as in the case of a bread slicer, that the delivery means to table 60 be driven in suitable timed sequence. Hence, powertake-oif sprocket 62 on main shaft 30 is provided. A sprocket chain (not shown) between sprocket 62 and a similar sprocket on the associated delivery mechanism transfers power in such desired relationship.

Air supply Beneath table 60 is a fan blower 64 driven by motor 66 which discharges into the duct 68 that directs the air, to the right in FIGURE 1, toward the end of table 60 which is extended by a grid 70 formed of rods generally aligned with the direction of article travel. Beneath grid 70 the duct 68 has a rising bottom 72 to deflect the air upward through the grid openings.

Within duct 68 is a high-pressure air conduit tube 74 having a nozzle 76 which terminates at the lip of sloping duct bottom 72. Air under substantial pressure is sup lied in timed relationship to nozzle 76 through a distribution valve 80 from a suitable supply line 79. Air is also distributed to other air-operated elementes as later will be described.

The jaw carriage Referring particularly to end view FIGURE 6, it will be observed that the mechanism is shown slightly tilted. It has been found in handling sliced loaves of bread that such a loaf can be handled more smoothly and uniformly if it rests in the angle formed by two angular disposed surfaces. For this reason table 60 is likewise tilted at the point where it receives the bread loaves to be bagged. Side rail 61 is engaged by the side of a bread loaf. It will of course be apparent that, in bagging articles of a more geometrical or uniform nature the tilted arrangement may be dispensed with.

On a pair of frame arms 82, 82 is supported spaced apart housing Walls 84, 84 which rise from such arms to table 60, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 6. The inner surface of each wall 84 has a pair of vertically spaced-apart, laterally offset rails 86, 88 which extend longitudinally of the machine. The carriage 90 shown in FIGURES and 6 reciprocates on rails 86, 88. Carriage 90 comprises cross plate 91 joining side members 92, 92 which support upright arms 93, 93. Extending forwardly from each arm 93 is a fixed jaw 94. On the outer face of each side member 92 are two pairs of flanged wheels 95 mounted on trunions 96. The inner wheels of each pair roll on rails 88 and the outer wheels roll on offset rails 86 above them. The carriage 90 is reciprocated by air acting on the piston of air-cylinder jack 97 whereby piston rod 98 is caused to move forward and back. Rod 98 is coupled to plate 91. Table 60 has slots 99 shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 in which the arms 93 move during reciprocation of carriage 90.

Sleeves 100 projecting outwardly from the upper ends of arms 93 receive and support the crankshafts 101 having cranks 102 secured on opposite ends thereof. Each shaft 101 on its inner end is secured to upper jaw arm 103 which carries a curved bag-opening jaw portion 104. Rocking of cranks 102 results in swinging motion up and down of the upper jaw arms 103 and their respective bag-opening portions 104. Each air-cylinder jack 105 is pivotally mounted at 106 on frame arms 82 and its piston rod 107 is pivotally connected to adjustable link 108 which in turn is pivotally connected to crank arm 102. Contraction of the jack 105 results in retraction of rod 107 and the imparting of a pull on link 108. Such occurs when the carriage has been moved forward by the extension of air cylinder jack 97 projecting rod 98. Air is supplied to cylinders 105 through hoses as 106 seen in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The lower edges of jaws 94 have inwardly-projecting flanges 109 shown in FIGURES 3 and 5 to partially aid in supporting the side portions of articles passing between the carriage jaws. Jaw portions 104 also rest on flanges 109 in their down or contracted position. In their spread or bag mouth distending position upper bag-opening jaw portions 104 are separated sufliciently to permit the shank of yoke 52 of pusher 50 to pass therebetWeen. Pusher face 56 passes beneath jaw portions 104 when they are raised. Springs 110 connected between carriage 90 and jaws 104 bias the jaws downward.

Bag supply Bags 117 to be filled are supplied in numbers at a bagfilling station above bag table 120 which moves up and down on rails 122. Table 120 is L-shaped, has a back wall 121, and is upwardly biased by springs 124. The bags used are preferably collapsed envelopes of polyethylene, or similar film material, and have a lower wall which at the bag mouth extends beyond the mouth end of the upper wall as shown in FIGURE 10. This lower wall extension forms a lip 118 which is punched to provide holes 119 and slits 114. When a supply of bags 117 is deposited on table 120 the extended bag lips 118 overlie the slightly downturned ramp edge 123 of table 120, which is pierced similarly with holes coincident with holes 119, to receive the legs of a downwardly open U-shaped wire wicket member 125 which holds the bags in place on the table. As may be seen in FIGURE 4, the upwardly biased bag table 120 having the lips 118 of the bags 117 lying on ramp 123 causes the bag lips to be pressed against the under side at 73of the bottom 72 of air duct 68 to thereby grip the lips of the bags.

Table 120 is restrained against unrestricted movement by screw 126 in nut 127 carried beneath the table. Screw 4 126 is journalled in fixed bearing 128 and has a manually operable crank 129 on its lower end. The screw 126 is indexed rotatively by the action of ratchet means 130 which is activated by the solenoid 131 suitably mounted to the machine frame.

The opposite ends of the lower lips 118 of the bag mouths are pressed to ramp 123 and table 120 by bag lipclamping means shown as rockable presser arms 134 pivoted on pins 135 and having the depending yoked-together extension arms 136. Piston rod 137 of air-cylinder jack 138 moves reciprocably and in so doing raises and lowers the face end of arms 134 relative the bag lips 118.

Control means A microswitch 140 (see FIGURE 1) has a long thin finger 142 which extends over the surface of table 60 from behind guide wall 61. Switch 140 controls the operation of the high-pressure air jet through nozzle 76, the raising and lowering of the presser arms 134 of the baglip holder, and the operation of the bag table 120 indexing means actuated by solenoid 131.

Air hoses 160, 161 connect between cylinder 138 and valve 80. Likewise air cylinder 97 is hose-connected to valve 80 which constantly receives air under substantial pressure through conduit 79.

The bagging operation When the machine is performing a contiuously repetitive bagging operation, the following parts are always in motion: (a) the drive shaft 30 rotates and chains 40 and 48 and the several pushers carried by the latter travel endlessly in their prescribed paths; (b) blower 68 provides a steady, uniform supply of low-pressure air through duct 68 and upwardly out through grid 70; and (c) the gear 62 which is connected to a related bread slicer revolves constantly.

Whenever an article, for example a bread loaf, comes into contact with feeler finger 142 of switch 140, a blast of high-pressure air is supplied to nozzle 76. This initiates a rippling action of the upper wall of the top bag 117 on table 120' causing its upper lip to rise and to catch low pressure air in volume flowing out of duct 68 thus inflating the bag, all as shown in FIGURE 4. Simultaneously, the presser arms 134, by projection of piston rod 137 from cylinder 138, are raised from the opposite ends of bag lips 118 releasing them. The bag lip 118 of the top bag is restrained by the bale of wicket 125. At the time switch 140 is actuated, solenoid 131 is charged, causing indexing screw 126 to turn sufliciently to permit table 120 to rise slightly.

As the top bag 117 is becoming suitably inflated the jaw carriage 90 moves forward with bag-opening jaws 104 in the down or contracted position shown in FIGURE 3. This causes the fixed jaw elements 94 and movable jaw elements 104 to be introduced into the mouth of the bag. Thereupon, jack 105 is contracted imparting a pull on link 108 causing crank arm 102 to rock and raise jaw arms 103 while the presser arms 134 are still raised from the upper bag lip 118. Jaws 104 rise engaging the upper inside of the bag mouth distending and shaping it to receive the article to be bagged. Such distension also raises and moves inward the opposite ends of the top bag lower lip 118. The presser arms 134 are then lowered again to clamp the lower lips 118 of all the bags except the top bag. Air flows constantly into the top bag.

In appropriately timed relation a pusher 50 advances a loaf of bread, from the left to the right in FIGURE 1, along'table 60, across grid 70, and between the spread bag jaws into the distended bag mouth and inflated bag. It has been found, in the case of sliced bread, that the displacement of air from the bag by the entry of the bread loaf imparts sufiicient pressure on the leading slices of the loaf to keep them from tilting forward, thus maintaining the desired arrangement. Prior to this, flexible fingers or blades restrain forward tilting or tipping of the leading bread slices as they move toward the jaw carriage 90.

As pusher 50 advances the bread loaf or other article into the distended mouth of the top-bag 117 and the same reaches the closed end of the bag, the mouth thereof is engaged by the shank of pusher 50. This imparts a pull on the bag lower lip 118 held only by the two wire legs of wicket member 125 extending through holes 119, no longer held by presser arms 134, stressing the same at the points of engagement, i.e., holes 119, with the legs of wicket or bale 125. The bag lip, weakened by slits 114, tears loose from the restraining action of the bale legs and it and its contents move off the machine away from the spreading means and the bag-supporting means at the bag-filling station across a discharge surface 182 for bag closing and other disposition.

In FIGURE 11 is shown a slightly modified mechanism for clamping the lower lips 118 of baks 117. The ramp 123 is notched and presser shoe 190 moves through the notch. Shoe 190 is carried on bell crank lever 192, pivotally supported at 193 on the underside of table 120. Piston rod 194 of air-cylinder jack 195 is connected to the bell crank 192. Jack 195 is pivotally mounted on the bot tom side of table 120 remote from ramp 123. A bolt 196 on the bell crank 192 has an adjustable member 197 threaded thereon. Tension spring 198 extending between member 197 and the bottom of table 120 biases the presser shoe 190 into the clamping position relative to the air duct bottom wall 72. The lower lips 118 of bags therebetween are thus clamped. In operation the jack 195 is actuated to retract piston rod 194 and thus release this clamping pressure at approximately the same instant that a loaf of bread reaches the bottom of an inflated bag 117 to permit the lower bag lip 118 to be easily stripped from the bale or wicket 125.

We claim:

1. A bagging machine for use with bags each having a mouth with a lower lip extending beyond the upper lip, comprising a horizontally reciprocable carrier including means for reciprocating the same; a pair of lower, spaced-apart jaws on said carrier; a pair of upper, spacedapart movable jaws above said lower jaws, pivotally mounted on said carrier (above said lower jaws) and including means for swinging the same between a lower position and an upper lip-lifting position; a supply table over which units to be bagged are moved to said jaws; a bag-supply table located adjacent to and lower than said jaws and including means for holding relative to said bag-supply table the lower lips of bags in a pack carried by said bag-supply table; high-pressure intermittently-operable air supply means including a nozzle to discharge an air stream adjacent to the upper lip of top bag on said bag-supply table to initiate opening of such upper lip; low-pressure air-supply means including an orifice to discharge an air stream at and into the mouth of the top bag on said bag-supply table; means for sequentially activating first said high pressure air-supply means, then said carrier to advance the jaws into the mouth of such top bag, and finally said jaw-swing means to swing said upper jaws upward to their upper lip-lifting position; and pusher means operable to pass a unit from said supply table and between said upper and lower jaws into a bag mouth opened thereby.

2. The bagging machine defined in claim 1, in which the pusher means comprises a pusher member mounted on an endless flexible carrier movable in a closed path, a portion of which is generally parallel to the path of travel of an article to be bagged over the supply table and between the upper and lower jaws into a bag held open by the jaws.

3. The bagging machine defined in claim 1, in which each of the movable jaws includes an arcuate bag-shaping portion adapted to impart a curved shape to the upper lip of a bag lifted by the movable jaws.

4. The bagging machine defined in claim 1, in which the means for holding the lower lips of bags include presser means clampingly engageable with the lower lip of the top bag, and means to move said presser means between clamping and release positions.

5. The bagging machine defined in claim 1, in which themeans for holding the lower lips of bags includes means for pressing such lips against one of the air-supply means.

6. A bagging machine for use with bags each having a mouth with a lower lip extended beyond the upper lip, comprising a horizontally reciprocable carrier including means for reciprocating the same; a pair of lower, spacedapart jaws on said carrier; a pair of upper spaced-apart jaws pivotally mounted on said carrier to swing about a horizontal axis between a lower position and an upper lip-lifting position; a supply table over which units to be bagged are moved to said jaws; means for holding a bag with its mouth partially distended in the pathof said jaws; means for activating said carrier to advance said jaws to dispose their ends in the partially distended mouth of the bag; means to swing said upper jaws to their liplifting position when the carrier is advanced to engage and draw said bag mouth into contact with said lower jaws to hold the bag mouth distended; and pusher means operable to move articles from said supply table between said jaws and into the bag mouth opened thereby.

7. In a bagging machine in which a bag is positioned horizontally to receive ,units to be bagged, in apparatus comprising a horizontally reciprocable carrier; a pair of lower, spaced-apart jaws on said carrier; a pair of upper spaced-apart jaws pivotally mounted on said carrier for swinging up and down about a horizontal axis; means for holding the partially-opened mouth of a bag in the path of said upper jaws; means for moving said carrier forwardly to move said upper pivotally mounted jaws into the partially-opened mouth of such bag While said upper jaws are in downwardly swung position; means for swinging said upper jaws-upward to lift the upper lip of the bag mouth; means for moving units to be bagged between said jaws into the opened bag mouth; and means for moving said carrier rearwardly.

8. A bagging machine comprising bag-supporting means for holding a bag with its length in generally horizontal position and its mouth partially distended, spreading means movable between a contracted position and a bag mouth spreading position, carrier means carrying said spreading means and movable to shift said spreading means while they remain in such contracted position bodily toward said bag-supporting means intothe partially distended bag mouth, means for thereafter spreading said spreading means to open the bag mouth farther, and means for moving a unit to--be bagged generally horizontally toward said bag-supporting means and into such farther opened bag mouth and for continuing movement thereafter in the same general direction to movesuch bag containing such unit away from said spreading means and said bag-supporting means.

9. The bagging machine defined in claim 8, in which the spreading means include a pair of jaws movable between a lower contracted position and an upper bag mouth distending position, and the means for spreading the spreading means includes means for raising the jaws.

10. A bagging machine for use with bags each having a mouth with a lower lip extending beyond the upper lip, comprising clamping means for anchoring the opposite end portions of the lower lips of bags disposed generally horizontally in a pack at a bag-filling station, means for initiating lifting of the upper lip of the top bag relative to its lower lip while the lower lip of such top bag remains anchored by said clamping means, means for releasing said clamping means for clamping engagement with the lower lip of the top bag, bag mouth distending means movable between contracted position and bag mouth distending position while said clamping means are released to open the mouth of the top bag wider, means 7 8 for thereafter moving said clamping means to clamp the 2,950,589 8/1960 Litchard 53-190 opposite end portions of the lower lips of all bags below 2,851,838 9/ 1958 McIntyre et al. 53385 X the top bag, and means for moving a unit to be bagged 3,174,260 3/1965 Saumsiegle et al. 53-189 generally horizontally into the bag at such bag-filled sta- 3,228,173 1/1966 Reynolds 53385 tion past said distending means and through the mouth I of the bag held by said bag mouth distending means. 5 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner References Cited N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS U.S. Cl. X.R. 2,751,134 6/1956 Walldow 53-188 10 53-385; 99-173 2,770,084 11/1956 Ruderman 53189 2 323 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION pate 3,508,379 Dated April 28, 1970 Inventr(s) P. NOYCS & L.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 5, line 38, cancel "extending and insert -extended--; line 43, cancel "(above said lower jaws)"; line 52, after "of" insert -the--; line 59, cancel "jaw-swing" and insert --jaw-swinging--.

Column 6, line 4, cancel "release" and insert "released" line 28, cancel "in" and insert --the--; Jine 71, cancel "for" and insert --from--.

Column 7, line 4, cancel "bag-filled" and insert --bagfil1ing--.

mm x. 1:. mmlm? O omisslom or Points Attesting Officer 

